Viola Davis Says the Diversity Problem is ‘Not With the Oscars’
The Furious 7 star has sided with the likes of director Spike Lee, actress Jada Pinkett Smith, and rapper Snoop Dogg in condemning Academy voters for failing to recognise African-American talent in the main acting categories after the shortlist was announced last week (14Jan16). It seems this year the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences couldn’t find a single actor of color worthy of an Oscar nomination for a lead or supporting role.
In today’s media climate, there’s no experience more vexing – yet routine – than watching a legitimate complaint about diversity, exclusion, or injustice gain traction and momentum, and then promptly expose the bigots and reactionaries who can not handle any of said complaint’s implied critique. You can see the full video here.
In her speech, Viola Davis said that the only barrier that separates actors of color from others is opportunity.
Not only that, but even the Academy President has acknowledged this issue.
“This is a hard but important conversation, and it’s time for big changes”, she said in a statement. In the coming days and weeks will conduct a review of our membership recruitment in order to bring about much-needed diversity in our 2016 class and beyond. “The problem is with the Hollywood movie-making system”.
Rev. Al Sharpton has also called for a boycott of the Oscars, to be hosted by comedian Chris Rock. Not everyone is onboard with the call to boycott though.
“When you go to the BET Awards, we nominate Sam Smith and Robin Thicke, because they’re putting out great records”, Tyrese continued, about the inclusion of Caucasian soul stars at the Black Entertainment Television prizegiving.
Goldberg highlights a particular problem that many creative industries still suffer from: that is the notion that it is only the white experience of life that can be sold to people. It isn’t the only example though. As Slate’s Aisha Harris noted, it’s “the same argument used by affirmative action opponents… and by average white people like Abigail Fisher who assume that people of color only get rewarded for being people of color, not because they may actually be – gasp – deserving of their reward”. “You can change the Academy, but if there are no Black films being produced, what is there to vote for?” Not out of a moral stance, necessarily, but rather because she was going on vacation.
If you want to take a stand against whitewashing in Hollywood, please sign and share the Care2 petition asking Chris Rock to refuse to host the Oscars.